Req 2a — Choose Two Scouting Leaders

You need to pick two of the nine Scouting leaders listed below. For each person you choose, you will prepare a short biographical summary and explain how they helped Scouting develop and grow in the United States.

Your Options

• Req 2a1 — Daniel Carter Beard: Founded the Sons of Daniel Boone and became the first National Scout Commissioner. A rugged outdoorsman who shaped Scouting’s wilderness identity.
• Req 2a2 — William D. Boyce: The businessman who incorporated the Boy Scouts of America in 1910 after a chance encounter with a Scout in London fog.
• Req 2a3 — Waite Phillips: An Oklahoma oil baron who donated the land that became Philmont Scout Ranch — Scouting’s most famous high-adventure base.
• Req 2a4 — Ernest Thompson Seton: A naturalist and author who founded the Woodcraft Indians and served as the BSA’s first Chief Scout. Brought nature lore and woodcraft traditions into the Scouting program.
• Req 2a5 — James E. West: The BSA’s first Chief Scout Executive, who built the organization’s professional structure and led it for 32 years.
• Req 2a6 — “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt: The Danish-born Scouter who wrote three editions of the Scout Handbook and championed the patrol method for decades.
• Req 2a7 — Frederick Russell Burnham: The American-born scout and adventurer whose real-world reconnaissance skills in Africa directly inspired Baden-Powell’s vision for Scouting.
• Req 2a8 — Dr. Charles Eastman: A Dakota Sioux physician and author who helped shape the BSA’s early outdoor and campcraft programs, bridging Native American traditions and Scouting.
• Req 2a9 — Edgar Robinson: A YMCA leader who was instrumental in the BSA’s early organization and helped bring the Scouting movement to a national audience.

How to Choose

Pick the two people who interest you most. There is no wrong combination. Here are some ways to think about it:

• Interested in the founding story? Boyce, Beard, and Seton are the three men most directly involved in creating the BSA.
• Interested in adventure and the outdoors? Burnham, Phillips, and Beard each brought a spirit of frontier exploration to Scouting.
• Interested in how the organization was built? West and Robinson shaped the BSA’s national structure and growth.
• Interested in Scouting’s program and traditions? Hillcourt, Seton, and Eastman each left a lasting mark on what Scouts actually do.

Start with the first option, or jump directly to any person using the navigation menu.